Town of New Hartford NEW YORK

TOWN of NEW HARTFORD

ONEIDA COUNTY

NEW HARTFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT

32 KELLOGG ROAD, NEW HARTFORD, NEW YORK 13413-2850

 Telephone: 1-315-733-6666

Fax: 1-315-724-8618

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August 24, 2009

Washington Mills Man Arrested After Bomb Threat

According the Officer Jarod T. Petrie, on August 24 at about 3:30pm, the New Hartford Police Dept. received a report of a possible bomb in a Post Office box outside the United States Post Office in Washington Mills.  Multiple police units responded and were told by United States Postal Workers that a white male in his fifties had walked up to one of the Post Office boxes outside the Post Office and as he was walking away stated that there was a bomb and that it was about to blow.  The workers stated that the male then walked across the street and stood there watching the Post Office.  Postal workers immediately evacuated and closed the Post Office and contacted the New Hartford Police Dept.  As police units arrived, one of the Postal workers pointed out the male who had made the threat standing across the street.  Additional units responded to the male’s location and immediately took the male, Calvin J. LaClair, 50, of Washington Mills into custody.  Police immediately conducted a search of Mr. LaClair’s person for weapons and found a loaded, unregistered .22 caliber pistol tucked inside his waistband.  Police later determined that Mr. LaClair did not have a pistol permit and possessed the weapon illegally. 

While Mr. LaClair was being taken into custody, other New Hartford Police units conducted a search of the Post Office premises for the presence of an explosive device.  The New Hartford Police were assisted in their search by the United States Postal Inspector’s service.  A Postal Inspector responded from Syracuse, NY with specialized X-Ray equipment used to determine the presence of explosive devices.  No suspicious packages were found during the search and police were able to determine that there was not an explosive device present.  Once police determined the threat was a hoax, the Post Office was allowed to reopen to the public. 

Calvin J. LaClair was arraigned in the Town Of New Hartford court on the charges of Falsely Reporting an Incident in the First Degree, a Class D Felony and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a Class C Felony.  Mr. LaClair was incarcerated in the Oneida County Correctional Facility in Lieu of $10,000 cash bail.

Inquiries can be directed to Officer Jarod T. Petrie at 733-6666.

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